1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless communication device, and more specifically, to a method of identifying a detachable cover of a wireless communication device and adjusting a frequency band of the wireless communication device according to the identified cover.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Exterior covers are crucial items in the design of wireless communication devices. In addition to aesthetics, the design of the cover also affects durability, ability to withstand damage from electrostatic discharge (ESD), and even wireless performance of the wireless communication device. As a result, all of the major producers of wireless communication devices such as cellular phones put a great deal of effort into design of the cover.
Furthermore, since consumers prefer to change the appearance of their communication devices, it is now common to find communication devices with swappable covers. For example, the Motorola® C330 series of cellular phones has three swappable covers with different shapes and textures that are used to cover the inner housing and circuitry (such as the transceiver) of the cellular phone. With this setup, users can easily and freely change the cover of the cellular phone without concern for the internal hardware or software of the cellular phone.
Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 1 is a perspective diagram of a wireless communication device 10 according to the prior art. FIG. 2 is a perspective diagram of a front cover 20A and a rear cover 20B of the wireless communication device 10. FIG. 1 shows the front cover 20A assembled with the rear cover 20B whereas FIG. 2 shows the front cover 20A and the rear cover 20B separately. For convenience, the front cover 20A and the rear cover 20B will collectively be referred to as a cover 20. The front cover 20A contains a transparent lens 22 for allowing a display screen to be seen through the lens 22. In addition, the front cover 20A contains a plurality of input keys 24 for inputting signals to the wireless communication device 10.
Please refer to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a perspective diagram of an inner housing 40 of the wireless communication device 10. The front cover 20A and the rear cover 20B can be respectively installed on front and rear sides of the inner housing 40, thereby enclosing the inner housing 40 between the front cover 20A and the rear cover 20B. The inner housing 40 contains a display 42 such as an LCD display and a plurality of key sensors 44 for receiving input from the plurality of input keys 24. The key sensors 44 may be made out of a variety of different materials, such as a metal dome keypad sensors.
With many different wireless communication standards found throughout the world, the wireless communication device 10 may contain a multi-band transceiver for allowing the wireless communication device 10 to communicate through more than one frequency band. For instance, multi-band wireless communication devices can be configured for quad-band operation at 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 1900 MHz, or for dual-band or triple-band combinations of these frequencies.
Unfortunately, when a user of the wireless communication device 10 travels between regions using different communication standards, the user will have to manually change the frequency band settings of the wireless communication device 10. This is not only inconvenient, but the user may not have the technical knowledge to change the frequency band without assistance from others.